1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle support systems and more specifically to a method of providing a vehicular diagnostic evaluation based on an analysis of vehicle operation data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many of today's vehicles include a wide range of systems and components that perform various operations while the vehicle is in use. Over time, repeated use of the vehicle may cause failure of individual systems or components. As such, most vehicles are equipped with an onboard diagnostic computer in communication with the various systems and components included on the vehicle. The onboard computer may monitor the operation of the systems and components by logging diagnostic data generated during use of the vehicle. Although the onboard diagnostic computers may log data generated in response to operation of the vehicle, the diagnostic computer may not be capable of analyzing the data to identify the ultimate failure source plaguing the particular vehicle.
As such several diagnostic and support tools have been developed with the aim of providing the owner of the vehicle with vehicular diagnostic information. For instance, several handheld diagnostic tools have been designed to offer the owner of the vehicle a means of accessing and retrieving the diagnostic data logged by the onboard diagnostic computer. Once the diagnostic data is retrieved, it may be analyzed to determine a failure source.
In some instances, the diagnostic data logged by the onboard diagnostic computer includes a failure code generated by the vehicle's systems and components when a particular system or component is failing or is about to fail. The failure code may be associated with a particular system or component that is failing. Therefore, by retrieving the failure code, the particular system or component may be identified and treated.
However, given the complex nature of today's vehicles, several failure codes may be generated at any given time. In other words, the failure of one particular system or component may cause other systems or components to operate incorrectly. As such, the source of all the failure codes may trace back to one failure source. The invention disclosed in patent application Ser. No. 11/823,757, entitled Automotive Diagnostic and Remedial Process, is directed to a diagnostic system for determining a likely failure source for a particular combination of failure codes. The likely failure source is determined by matching the particular combination of failure codes generated by the test vehicle with combinations of failure codes in a prior experience database. The prior experience database includes various combinations of failure codes associated with likely failure sources. The failure source associated with the combination of failure codes in the prior experience database having the highest number of failure codes in common with the particular combination of failure codes obtained from the onboard diagnostic computer may be considered the likely failure source.
The identified likely failure source provides the owner of the vehicle with valuable diagnostic information. However, additional information may be required before the vehicle can be completely repaired. For instance, confirmation that the likely failure source is the actual failure source may be required. Furthermore, information regarding the extent of the failure may also be needed in order to provide the most cost effective repair.
As is apparent from the foregoing, there exists a need in the art for a method of retrieving and analyzing vehicular diagnostic information in order to more readily identify a failure source. The present invention addresses this particular need, as will be discussed in more detail below.